Adalyn Richards, COL ’23, Denver, CO
This summer, I worked in the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. As an undergraduate intern, I conducted background research on cases in the section’s diverse portfolio of human rights prosecutions, including genocide, war crimes, and torture. For example, my first major assignment involved researching the detention conditions of a group of U.S. citizens who have been illegally detained by an authoritarian regime for several years. In a separate case, I investigated patterns of violence in an occupied territory to establish whether the law of armed conflict applies. These projects developed my ability to research complex global conflicts and dramatically expanded my knowledge of international humanitarian law. Further, they helped attorneys better understand the context of potential prosecutions to determine whether U.S. jurisdiction applies in numerous human rights crimes committed abroad.
With a team of about 40 historians and attorneys, the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section is a small and little-known office in the Department of Justice. This summer, however, HRSP’s work gained international media attention as Russia continued its unlawful invasion of Ukraine. Eli Rosenbaum, an HRSP attorney and Penn alumn, traveled to Ukraine with Attorney General Merrick Garland to learn about how the DOJ, namely HRSP, can assist with war crime prosecutions. As an intern, I had the opportunity to contribute to this work by researching Russian war crimes, troop movements, and military command structure. I presented my findings in biweekly meetings with Eli Rosenbaum and other attorneys on the newly-created U.S. War Crimes Accountability Team.
Throughout the course of my internship, I also had the opportunity to engage with the greater DOJ community. Through weekly “brown bag” lunches, I met other DOJ offices to learn about the wide range of work conducted by the Criminal Division, ranging from Supreme Court filings to fraud prosecutions to cryptocurrency enforcement. At various social and networking events, I also met U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, who leads the Criminal Division. From meeting countless passionate individuals to working on truly meaningful projects, my experience in the DOJ has only reinforced my interest in public service. Next year, I hope to attend law school and begin my career as an attorney—perhaps one that will lead me back to the Department of Justice.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2022 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. Adalyn’s specific internship was supported through the Turner Schulman Human Rights Internship funding program. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here.
